When you plug the drive into the computer for the first time (and after the software installs), a setup menu pops up. First is asks for the desired language that you would like to use, and then it shows you the standard EULA. After that, you are shown the initial password entry screen, which contains a useful help menu to tell you what is required to create a secure password.

After you enter a password that is to your liking, it brings you to an information screen. This data is viewable without logging in, and is presumably for use in a way similar to a return address in case you misplace your drive someplace. It contains your name, your company (or any other affiliation) and whatever other notes you deem necessary to add (phone numbers, return address, etc.).

After the password setup is complete, the drive formats itself to FAT32 and opens up the drive in Windows Explorer.

While you are logged on, an icon is shown in your taskbar that is used to configure the drive to your liking. Clicking on it pulls up a menu of various actions to take. They are pretty straightforward, with the most notable thing being that clicking "Shut Down" not only terminates the program but also removes the hardware from the computer (similar to how clicking "Safely Remove Hardware" does).

Clicking on DTLocker+ Settings brings up the settings menu, which allows you to change your password, edit the contact info fields and change your preferred language. It is all pretty straightforward as well. One particularly nice touch is that you have to enter the current password to edit any of the settings, so you don't have to worry about people changing anything on you if you walk away from your computer.

All this is fine and dandy, but what about the security, the main draw of this drive? Well, while I can't vouch for it being unbreakable, it does seem pretty secure. The log-in screen seems pretty straightforward, and indeed it is. It has the hint button to show whatever your password hint was, the Contact Information link in case the drive is lost and the Forgot Password link.

One thing that shows how much Kingston wasn't messing around when they designed the drive: The Forgot Password link doesn't send a password to your e-mail address or anything like that. It in fact formats the entire drive, preferring to wipe the data from the drive than let it fall into the wrong hands.

Another facet of the thoroughness Kingston built into the security of this drive is the log-in attempts counter. If you exceed 7 log-in attempts a warning pops up on the log-in screen explaining that you only have 3 more attempts to log-in. If you proceed to exceed those three attempts and still not enter the correct info, it proceeds to format the drive.

With all that in mind, I think it is fair to conclude that Kingston didn't cut any corners when designing the security software for this drive. Make sure to remember your password!

Testing the drive was done on a computer running Windows XP SP3. The test was run using Flash Memory Toolkit, and the flash drive was plugged into a Belkin 4-port USB 2.0 hub. As Kingston makes no claims regarding the read/write speeds of the drives, and because the drive is targeted at security rather than outright performance, the test was done to get a general idea of the performance of the drive rather than as a means of comparison to anything else.

Even with that in mind, the test numbers that the Locker+ pulled down are nothing to sneeze at. Flash Memory Toolkit indicated an average read speed of 23.6 MB/s and an average write speed of 12.8 MB/s, with little derivation for either. While they aren't earth shattering or anything to that effect, considering the drive isn't targeted at performance and doesn't really make any claims towards such, the numbers themselves are still pretty good.

Pricing for the DataTraveler Locker+ is around $85 (Newegg) as of press time. That may seem a bit steep for a 16GB flash drive, but its pretty well in line with the rest of the security market. With that in mind, if you are in the market for secure flash memory, ASE Labs recommends the Kingston DataTraveler Locker+.